The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2025 season in 75 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 75 - redshirt junior tackle Andrew Gentry.
Andrew Gentry's background
Forgive the pun, but BYU brining in Andrew Gentry, a 6-foot-8, 315-pound transfer from Michigan, is a big, big deal.
Back in 2020 Gentry was one of the top prospects in the nation. 247 Sports had him as a four-star recruit with a 94 rating and the No. 147 player in the country. Gentry was the No. 2 prospect in the state of Colorado and elected to sign with the Michigan Wolverines coming out of high school. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the shadows of LaVell Edwards Stadium, serving in the Utah Orem mission, speaking Spanish.
Gentry saw his first action at Michigan in 2022, appearing in three games. In Michigan's 2023 national championship season he appeared in 15 games, playing mostly special teams and in jumbo packages. Last year he appeared in eight games and his 72.1 PFF grade was the third highest among Michigan offensive players with at least 100 snaps.
After three seasons in Ann Arbor, Gentry found it in his best interests to hit the transfer portal and found the perfect fit with what Kalani Sitake is building at BYU.
Gentry's potential to contribute in 2025
Gentry was smart to sign with the Cougars.
First, there's a path for him to potentially start this year. While offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick has stated Isaiah Jatta will start at left tackle, there appears to be an open competition for right tackle with Gentry essentially going head-to-head with Austin Leausa. Gentry suffered a season-ending leg injury in October of last year and has been limited since arriving in Provo, but he has the tools, talent, experience, and size to compete for a starting role once healthy.
The website Ourlads currently projects Leausa as the starting right tackle with Gentry as the backup, and KSL Sports sees the position battle the same way. Leausa registered seven starts in 11 games played last year so in addition to Gentry being limited physically, Leausa has the advantage of being the incumbent.
Andrew Gentry was a big-time recruit with experience at a big-time program. The next couple of months will be telling to see how his background translates into on-field production in his new home in Provo.